Not Applicable
This invention relates to an inkjet printhead. More particularly, this invention relates to an inkjet printhead that includes a high-density array of nozzle arrangements.
This application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/112,764 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,336,710. The following U.S. Patent Nos. and U.S. Patent Application Nos. are hereby incorporated by reference:
Some applications are temporarily identified by docket numbers. The docket numbers will be replaced by the corresponding USSN when available.
As set out in the above referenced applications/patents, the Applicant has spent a substantial amount of time and effort in developing printheads that incorporate micro electro-mechanical system (MEMS)xe2x80x94based components to achieve the ejection of ink necessary for printing.
As a result of the Applicant""s research and development, the Applicant has been able to develop printheads having one or more printhead chips that together incorporate up to 84 000 nozzle arrangements. The Applicant has also developed suitable processor technology that is capable of controlling operation of such printheads. In particular, the processor technology and the printheads are capable of cooperating to generate resolutions of 1600 dpi and higher in some cases. Examples of suitable processor technology are provided in the above referenced patent applications/patents.
Common to most of the printhead chips that the Applicant has developed is a component that moves with respect to a substrate to eject ink from a nozzle chamber. This component can be in the form of an ink-ejecting member that is displaceable in a nozzle chamber to eject the ink from the nozzle chamber. Instead, this component can be in the form of a structure that defines an ink ejection port and that is displaceable with respect to the substrate to reduce and subsequently enlarge a nozzle chamber so that a resultant fluctuation in ink pressure results in an ejection of ink from the nozzle chamber, through the ink ejection port.
The Applicant has managed to achieve the high resolution mentioned above by developing nozzle arrangements that are sufficiently small and suitably arranged on a wafer substrate so that, when each nozzle arrangement is actuated to eject a drop of ink, the required resolution is achieved.
As is described in the above referenced patents/patent applications, the printhead chips are the product of an integrated circuit fabrication process. As is well known in this field, a primary goal of chip manufacturers is to develop chips that use as little chip real estate as possible. The reason for this is that chip real estate is extremely expensive. It follows that it has also been a goal for the Applicant to achieve a printhead chip that uses a minimal amount of chip real estate. The above referenced matters include nozzle arrangements where the Applicant has succeeded in making substantial savings in chip real estate. Up until the present invention however, the Applicant has faced substantial difficulties in achieving the necessary high density of nozzle arrangements, while still saving real estate.
The Applicant has conceived the present invention to achieve a printhead chip that is configured so that a substantial saving in chip real estate can be made while still retaining a suitable nozzle density.
According to the invention, there is provided an inkjet printhead that comprises
at least one support structure; and
a plurality of nozzle arrangements that are positioned on the, or each, support structure, each nozzle arrangement including a nozzle chamber defining structure that is positioned on the substrate and that defines a nozzle chamber, the nozzle chamber defining. structure including a roof that defines an ink ejection port that is in fluid communication with the nozzle chamber, wherein
all the nozzle arrangements are positioned in an aligned, side-by-side manner on the, or each, support structure so that the ink ejection ports of the nozzle arrangements are positioned substantially rectilinearly along a length of the, or each, support structure and the nozzle arrangements are each dimensioned so that a distance between consecutive ink ejection ports is less than or equal to 42 microns.
The invention is now described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following description is not intended to limit the broad scope of the above summary.